Hunting Santa Fe's Plaza for Stories with Your Host on WhatsApp
Your team works the Plaza area for two hours, sending photos, video and audio to a host who replies live. Locals are part of play.
The Creative Soul Scavenger Hunt turns the streets around Santa Fe Plaza into a two-hour game for your group. Tara, the host, is not on the street with you. She runs the hunt remotely, sending missions to your team's WhatsApp thread and replying to the photos, video and audio you send back. The listing promises tales that run from Pueblo roots to Spanish colonial lore, plus tasks built around adobe color, local art and desert light.
On the operator's own site, Tara writes that she has worked as a tour guide for 25 years and that each hunt is personally curated and comes out slightly different depending on your team's responses. Her notes on Santa Fe point to art in public places, 500 years of history and clues that show history from the Native American perspective.
As of October 16, 2026, the listing offers starts at 10:30 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM every day except Tuesday, when the slots are 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM. Adults 18 and over pay USD 39, ages 9 to 17 pay USD 35 and ages 3 to 8 pay USD 30. One booking holds up to fifteen travelers, and an adult has to make it.
Creative Soul Scavenger Hunt of Santa FeTwo-hour team scavenger hunt around Santa Fe Plaza, hosted live over WhatsApp. Starts at Cathedral Park. Full refund if you cancel 24 hours ahead.www.viator.comA WhatsApp Hello the Day Before, Then Cathedral Park
The listing asks every team to connect with Tara on WhatsApp the day before the hunt for pregame information, and it calls WhatsApp required, not optional. The operator's site adds that at least one teammate needs the app on a smartphone, since the game runs on photo and audio files that regular texting cannot carry. If you book for today or tomorrow, the listing asks you to call Tara at 505-692-0644 right away with your name, hunt date and location. Bookings close four hours before the start time.
Play begins at Cathedral Park, near the Plaza. A listing photo caption places it right next door to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and the listing says to allow extra time for parking. In the operator's words, the few teams that struggle skip the WhatsApp chat beforehand, let their phones die, or show up hungry, tired or late.
Missions, Locals and a Camera Roll Around the Plaza
The listing builds the game around people: engage friendly locals, collect their stories, then capture what you find in photos, video and audio. The operator says teams learn what she calls the Vibe Test for picking out friendly locals. According to the operator's FAQ, there is no geocaching and there are no GPS points on these hunts. A March 2026 traveler noticed the same from the other side, warning that it is not a puzzle-style hunt, that the questions came in no set order, and that much of it could have been done alone with a little time online.
Others came away with stories they would not have found alone. A January 2023 group on a team retreat learned facts about Georgia O'Keeffe and Billy the Kid they had never heard. Two travelers in their 70s wrote in May 2022 that the real treasure was the locals, from an 87-year-old man to a middle school teacher.
Who Takes to a Remote Host and Talking to Strangers
Read the format before you book. The listing calls this a remotely hosted scavenger hunt, not a guided tour, and an April 2023 reviewer who expected Tara in person gave it two stars for that reason. The same reviewer still called her an incredible guide.
Talking to strangers is built in. An August 2022 traveler put it plainly: you need one person on your team who doesn't have gripping social anxiety. A mother who booked with an introverted 13-year-old in March 2021 wrote that they were paired against another mother-daughter team and that everyone they talked to was happy to help.
The operator's age guidance is that kids do well on an adult-led team, and teenagers 15 and up often do well as their own team. She cannot guarantee a second team for small or solo bookings. Solo players report mixed experiences: one in 2019 found it hard alone, while a 23-year-old in 2021 made friends by talking to other players and asking locals for clues. The listing also rules out bar stops and drinking during play, and saves the toast for the finish line.
Times, Pace, Access and the 24-Hour Rule
- Included: the clues, hosted live over WhatsApp.
- Bring: a fully charged smartphone with WhatsApp. Gratuity is optional and not included.
- Before you go, per the operator: eat a meal, wear walking shoes and leave plenty of time to reach the start.
- Pace: the operator calls her Santa Fe hunt somewhat fast-paced, with no running needed and a lot to do in two hours. An April 2025 group of adults, seniors and kids found two hours the right amount of time. An October 2024 team ran past two hours and still did not quite finish.
- Access: the listing marks the hunt wheelchair accessible, says infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and allows service animals, while the operator's own site mentions none of these. The listing also asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness, says most hunters need to be able to walk for two hours, and notes the host can suggest where a less mobile teammate can play from and stay in touch by phone.
- Cancel at least 24 hours before your start for a full refund. Inside 24 hours, nothing is refunded. The operator's own refund note gives the same rule for bookings made through Viator, and the listing lets the operator cancel for poor weather or too few travelers.
📍 Meet at Cathedral Park, beside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi near the Plaza, and allow extra time to park. Two reviewers mention restaurant tips from Tara for the rest of their stay, and a 2019 visitor's advice was to keep time free afterward to go back to the things the hunt turned up.